What the World Was Watching: WWF Wrestling Challenge – 09.11.94

Gorilla Monsoon and Ted DiBiase commentate, broadcasting again from Lowell, Massachusetts.

Opening Contest: Owen Hart (w/Jim Neidhart) (34-2) beats Phil Apollo via submission to the Sharpshooter at 3:38:

Monsoon and DiBiase suggest that WWF Champion Bret Hart is defending the title too much and is bound to lose it soon. Owen slowly beats on Apollo until Apollo reverses an Irish whip into the corner. He does not know how to follow up, though, and Owen elbows him on a blind charge. A missile dropkick lays Apollo out for the Sharpshooter. After the bell, Owen does the Hitman shades trick to Apollo.

The British Bulldog, superimposed on a green screen that shows a steel cage, argues that the feud in the Hart family is heating up and that he and Bret will finish it.

The latest WWF Magazine has cover art for Jeff Jarrett’s music album called “Ain’t I Great.”

Mabel (w/Oscar) (14-2) pins Todd Mata after the flying leg drop off the second rope at 2:23:

Monsoon asks DiBiase if his money is backing Jarrett’s album. DiBiase does not give a clear answer. Monsoon follows up by castigating DiBiase for hiring someone that pretended to be the Undertaker at SummerSlam further burying that old storyline. Mabel has no problems with Mata, who he literally squashes with a flying leg drop off the second rope.

Irwin R. Schyster (w/Ted DiBiase) (24-3) beats Scott Taylor after the Write Off at 2:44:

IRS tells fans that it is time for them to pay their taxes as they have been due for a while. The former Tag Team champion systematically dismantles Taylor. For a while his work would seem to setup the Penalty but IRS wins instead with the Write Off.

The Bushwhackers (7-2) defeat Mike Sharpe & Raymond Roy when Butch pins Roy after the Battering Ram at 2:40:

Roy is one of those enhancement talents whose name was flipped around when he would make appearances. Abe Schwartz is shown picketing in the crowd during the match. Theoretically, the Bushwhackers would be in the running for a Tag Team title shot since they are part of the division but it is impossible to imagine that they could be a threat to Shawn Michaels and Diesel. This squash reinforces that as the Bushwhackers hit Roy with some soft offense, whip him into Sharpe, and finish Roy with the Battering Ram.

Bob Backlund (4-1) defeats Tim McNeany via submission to the crossface chicken wing at 2:11:

Backlund is cast as a wrestler who only wants to be part of his generation, not something new or old. Monsoon has a funny theory that Backlund is partially brain dead because his exercise routine sucked away the oxygen that he needed to remain sane. McNeany plays decent defense against Backlund’s amateur wrestling. However, Backlund swiftly traps McNeany in the crossface chicken wing when they get to a standing position, refusing to break the hold until several referees enter the ring. When McNeany is taken away, Backlund rolls around for a while before leaving.

The 1-2-3 Kid (16-4-1) pins Bert Centeno after a flying leg drop at 2:28:

The Kid gets some fireworks for his entrance. There is no greater contrast between wrestling styles as the Kid following a Backlund match. Centeno is knocked down from several kicks by the Kid, enabling the Kid to win with a flying leg drop.

The Heavenly Bodies (11-0) defeat Paul Vandale & Tony Roy when Jimmy Del Ray pins Roy after the moonsault at 3:58:

Since the Bodies hated having wings on their ring jackets it is genius that they were able to pitch an angle where the Gunns ripped them up so they never had to wear them again. Jim Cornette must have had work in Smoky Mountain during this taping as he was not present for the Bodies or Yokozuna. The Bodies have the best win-loss record of any team in the promotion but they nearly lose their unbeaten mark when Roy traps Tom Prichard in a schoolboy roll up. The Smoking Gunns do a split screen promo about how the Bodies got bad advice from Jim Cornette and they are fixing for a fight against them. Roy takes a bad beating from the Bodies creative double teams, finished by the one-two punch of a Prichard sit-out powerbomb and Del Ray moonsault.

Tune in next week to see WWF Tag Team Champions Shawn Michaels & Diesel, Jim Neidhart, the Smoking Gunns, and Lex Luger in action! Also, Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon will show up for an interview!

The Last Word: This was simply a squasherific episode. The squashes near the end of the broadcast were much better than the ones that started the show but that is hardly a reason for fans to tune in. Since Monday Night RAW has been off the air for two weeks due to the U.S. Open it is surprising that the WWF did not throw feature matches on its syndicated shows for those weeks.

The WWF returned to Europe for a tour of Germany. Here were the results of that tour, courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:

Hamburg, Germany – Sporthalle – September 8, 1994 (6,000; sellout): Irwin R. Schyster beat the 1-2-3 Kid…WWF Women’s Champion Alundra Blayze beat Bull Nakano…Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Mabel…WWF Tag Team Champions Shawn Michaels & Diesel beat Razor Ramon & Lex Luger via disqualification…Jeff Jarrett beat Doink the Clown…The Undertaker beat Crush (substituting for Yokozuna) in a casket match…Bret Hart & Randy Savage beat Owen Hart & Jim Neidhart.

Backstage News*: All the German shows were reported as sellouts. When the WWF tours Great Britain next week the British Bulldog will take Randy Savage’s place as Bret Hart’s partner against Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart.

-Gerald Brisco has been brought in to help with the booking.

*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for September 19.

Up Next: Monday Night RAW for September 12!

And if you would like to read a compiled breakdown of 1990-1993 WWF, 1993-1995 ECW, or of various promotions in 1995, check out my Amazon author page to purchase e-books or paperback copies!